Nia Jax Says She Feels “Stockholm Syndrome” Following WWE Release

In an appearance on The Sessions with Renee Paquette, former WWE star Nia Jax reflected on her seven-year run with WWE, which ended when she was released in November of 2021. Paquette started by asking Nia Jax how she's feeling post-release.

"It's scary to say but I feel really good. Like, happy," Jax said. "It's almost like Stockholm Syndrome. I was in this crazy, almost slightly abusive relationship with a company. But also good, there are good parts to it. But now it's done. I kind of get to be myself again, which I haven't been in a long time. So I feel good, but it's also just a scary party where you're like 'okay, who is Lina now that she's not Nia Jax?'"

Reflecting back on her time, Nia Jax believes that she became too much of a company girl while working for WWE, believing the company would protect and take care of her. She once again made the allusion to Stockholm Syndrome, especially when it came to people close to her complaining about her booking, which Jax defended at the time.

"I think I became a company girl," Jax said. "Like that's what kind of bothered me back in the day. I kind of was like, 'okay, they always have my back. I don't have to worry about that. They'll always take care of me.' That sort of thing. And like certain things, I was like, 'I don't feel really comfortable with that, but I'll just do it because that's what he (Vince McMahon) wants.

"That's what they want.' And I think that's where I kind of got lost in the shuffle, just kind of thinking that appeasing certain people would actually benefit me. When I did speak up, things did happen. And then I'm thinking, 'okay, then I don't have to do it again.' I have that problem feeling that I am such a big person in real life.

"I didn't want the reputation of being, 'oh she's loud, she's obnoxious, and she's hard to work with.' That was the line I was teetering because you hear people who are like that. You can see it and you're like, 'I don't want to be that person.' It was that line that I played where most people were like, 'why are you getting booked like that? This is so dumb.' And I'm like, 'no, I'm doing the right thing.'

"You know, that Stockholm Syndrome. When you have people in the production meetings that have your back, it goes a long way, and I think certain people did have my back. But I think it was also me speaking up, and I let certain things go. There were a couple of times I did speak up, but it wasn't in my defense, it was to help others."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Sessions with Renee Paquette and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription